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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Getting Unstuck

Coffee Break20 x 16oil on canvas

This was one big project for me and having happily and with ease finished three quarters of it I found I was totally stuck the foreground which should have been relatively easy. No chance to hide or cover up as it is right there in your face. I even put it up on Gimp and created layers so I could change hue, value, intensity in order to resolve the issue. Although my Gimp painting looked okay no way could I transfer that to the real thing. Finally in desperation I threw some different combinations down and there we have the final product - for now anyway. Time to put this one away.

Hi Barb, it's been a little while since I visited your site. Not because of you, but because of my schedule. Your paintings are still stiking. This one looks perfect to me. Don't think you need to worry about the foreground. The colors are good and it leads one right into the painting. Makes a good foil for all the bright colors of the rest. Great subject capture here. The scene is most appealing. Keep your artistic muscles limber! Ruth

Thanks Dana, Diana, David and Ruth,I'm happy to have moved foreward with many aspects of this painting but have somewhat lost that loose look so will go back to smaller pieces and limit my time spent on each for a fresher more spontaneous look. Thanks for all the encouragement as I'm finding the summer days hard to spend at the easel. Cheers!

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Studio in Leir House - The Leir House in Penticton is a designated heritage building and is home to the Penticton Arts Council, open to the public 5 days a week. Many of the rooms are rented by musicians and visual artists as studio space or teaching venues and I was lucky to have secured one. Future plans are for a gift shop but in the mean time drop by and check out the current show or get information on the various events happening.

A Note about my process - My oil paintings are done using only walnut oil as a medium with a touch of thinner, no alkyds, extenders, driers, varnishes - just oil and pigment. When the surface is dry enough I will rub in a little more walnut oil to even out the sheen bringing out a beautiful glow and brush stroke pattern quite unlike a varnished look with a durable a finish. These can always be varnished for added protection.